On the hunt
by TehGlompingKitsune45
Summary: While trying to complete his first hunt a young hunter's apprentice instead encounters a rather strange human prince.


Trailan muttered to himself as he stalked through the brush, every nerve in his body seemed to be tingling with his excitement. He was on his first hunt, though the others of his age group wouldn't be ready for a few more years he was the prodigy of his generation. All he could think of was that he had to bring back the pelt today; otherwise he'd have to wait until they were settled into an entirely different forest.

They would soon be moving further south to the Brecilian Forest, the keeper had also proclaimed that their ultimate destination would be the Korcari Wilds, something that the others were looking forward to on account of the utter lack of shemlens and the knowledge to be found in ruins and artifacts left behind by the ancestors.

He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't hear the horse approaching until it was too late to hide or run back to the elder clan members. He hastily pulled out his blade to defend himself, watching with a poisonous glare as the shemlen rode closer on his enslaved beast of burden.

The shemlen seemed shocked to see him and dismounted to warily approach. "Are you lost, little one?" Trailan furrowed his brow, backing up a few steps when the human took one towards him.

"Are you from an alienage?"

"I am no flat-ear, shemlen" he hastily replied, raising his dagger.

"You are Dalish then, I'm sorry if I startled you. I merely wanted to take a ride outside of the cities; I did not expect to run into anyone. Have I ridden too close to your camp?" Trailan faltered and lowered his dagger a bit.

"You have not, shemlen; it is still a ways off. But there are others nearby" the man laughed softly.

"Oh, okay then. I was worried for a second that I would be ambushed for overstepping my bounds" then his expression suddenly turned sober. "You must know that your clans are always welcome in these lands, so long as I have some say in what my father does" Trailan put away his dagger slowly, staring curiously at the human.

"Why would your father have any say on who is welcome in Ferelden?" he asked, taking a step back when the man laughed.

"Terribly sorry, I haven't even introduced myself, awfully rude of me. I am prince Cailan, son of King Marik the Savior" Trailan looked shocked momentarily before huffing.

"You are a very strange prince then, if you are a prince at all" Cailan smiled.

"You doubt me?" he laughed.

The hunter apprentice rolled his eyes "That is perhaps putting it a bit mildly" he replied, with his back turned he missed the pouting expression on the prince's face.

"Awww, don't say that" he muttered, looking a bit put-off. Trailan turned back to give him an unimpressed look, honestly, when Ashalle had described the humans to him she had never mentioned how incredibly stupid they were. "Excuse me for asking," The man's voice broke him away from his thoughts, "but you don't have any of the Dalish markings on your face, why is that?"

He scoffed at the man's stupidity "Vallaslin is reserved for those who have proved themselves to be adults; I am still da'len, a child, but not for long" Cailan furrowed his brow in confusion.

"You still have quite a way to go before you're grown, little one" the elf looked like he wanted to hit him at the statement.

"The Elvhen are not like you humans, our lifespan is too long to be measured by the way we look, though it is much shorter than it once was," his tone turned bitter, "In our clans you become an adult when you prove your strength by bringing back the pelt of a beast you have slain yourself"

The prince stared "That's. . . interesting," he was at a loss for words, "but what happens if the beast attacks you?"

"Other hunters are near enough to hear when you scream" Trailan replied flatly.

Cailan flinched, but did his best to cover it up with a smile "Oh, and to think I was worried" at the joke the younger had to turn away to hide the way his mouth twitched in the desire to smile.

"Long ago it took our ancestors centuries to come of age, but time has blurred everything and we no longer know if the quickening will take us as quickly as humans or if we will make it past one hundred years. Strength of arms seems the most logical measure now" his brow was furrowed and Cailan couldn't help but feel bad, though he had never had anything to do with Elven slavery or the downfall of their civilization it still tugged at his heartstrings to think of the tragedy.

"I'm sorry," the elf looked at him curiously, "even if it doesn't count for much I'm sorry" something about the way the man spoke made his face turn red.

He turned away with an indignant huff "Fool shemlen, I care not for your apology unless you are centuries old and sunk Arlathan yourself" for some reason he was lying to make the man feel better, normally just the thought of humans made his blood boil.

But his thoughts were wiped away when the prince laughed "I suppose that is true" he noticed the young elf looking up through the canopy of trees toward the sun. "What is it?" he questioned.

"I have to go, my hunt is not yet finished" he turned, attempting to leave but stopped when the prince called for him.

"Please, wait, might you at least tell me your name?" the hunter apprentice hesitated.

"I. . . My name is Trailan Mahariel" with that he was gone, his footfalls so silent and his movements blending him with the shadows so well that Cailan thought he had imagined the entire encounter for a moment. Running a hand through his hair the man remounted his horse and rode out of the forest to return to Denerim and relay the events to his father.

* * *

This is actually the beginning part of a story that I never intend to publish :I in which Cailan very predictably lives through Ostagar and skips after poor racist Trailan on his darkspawn filled adventures.


End file.
